Archive for the ‘Christian Art’ Category

The Finding Divine Inspiration blog is moving! Well, Sort of. This site will still be up as an archive, but I’m now blogging at my primary website, JScottMcElroy.com, as part of a grand plan to consolidate websites and blogs. The FindingDivineInspiration.com book site is also now consolidated into JScottMcElroy.com, and when The Creative Church Handbook: Releasing the Power of the Arts in Your Congregation (IVP) releases in 2015, it will be hosted on the main site, as well.

The revamped JScottMcElroy.com site is still under construction, so its a little rough, but the blog is live there. So come on over and join me! If you’ve subscribed to this site, you’ve already been added to the new site! But if you are new, just fill in the info next to the “Subscribe” button in the sidebar on the new site. Also, I’ll be sharing thoughts much more regularly than in the past.

(Note: You’ve come upon an archive site. Scott is now blogging at JScottMcElroy.com. These and fresh posts can be seen there! )

After spending 7 months sitting at the writing-table with the new book, I’m venturing out for a couple of great speaking opportunities in July.

Karitos 2014

If you are in the Midwest, consider attending Karitos 2014 in Chicago, July 10-12. It’s their 20th anniversary and I’m honored to give a featured address and lead three workshops: “How to Better Hear God’s Voice in Your Creativity”, “The Joy of Personal Prophetic Art”, and “Practical Ideas for Bringing the New Creative Renaissance into Your Church and Your Culture”. More information at http://Karitos.com.

Then it’s on to the long-awaited Creative Church Conference 2014 in Boise, July 25-27! If you at all interested in encouraging the arts and creativity in the church, you should join us! This year’s lineup of speakers and activities is stellar. This year’s theme is “The Artist in Community”. Speakers include:

Dr. Colin Harbinson (Stoneworks Global Art Initiative)

Jessie Nilo (VineArts Boise)

Jason Leith (Artist, Director of Arts, Saddleback Church )

Manuel Luz (Imagine That, Worship Director at Oak Hills Church)

Dave Blakeslee (Potter and Pastor)

Bryn Gillette (Artist)

Andrew Nemr (Dance Artist)

Cecilia Brie Tschoepe (Actor, Writer, Director)

Me

and many more.

(Look for profiles on each speaker over the next couple of weeks on the New Renaissance Facebook page. )

Plus, plenty of workshops, creative free time, performances, interaction with other artists and leaders, and more.

The event is sponsored by VineArts Boise and The New Renaissance Arts Movement (a department of ACT Intl).

New book on the way!

You may have noticed that we had planned to do a Creative Church Conference in Indy this year, as well. The New Renaissance Arts Movement, which I direct, is the main sponsor of the Indy event, and one of our biggest priorities is to get a new book out about the arts in the church. IVP (InterVarsity Press) offered to publish the book last year and I began working on it full time last November. That process took considerably longer than expected and the first draft was completed in May. Since I was tied up writing, we decided to consolidate this year’s Creative Church Conferences into the one in Boise. (We plan to do Indy again in 2016.)

Now the new book is in the editing process at IVP and we have an official title: The Creative Church Handbook: Releasing the Power of the Arts in Your Congregation. We expect it to release in Spring 2015. Thanks to all who have prayed and contributed during this process!

(Note: You’ve come upon an archive site. Scott is now blogging at JScottMcElroy.com. These and fresh posts can be seen there! )

If you haven’t heard from me for a few months, it’s not that I don’t like you anymore. It’s that I’ve been largely indisposed on an unending project. After 650 man hours the beautiful beast called THE BIG KITCHEN REMODEL is vanquished. And I think my remodeling bug is completely sated…for now. It’s time to dive into completing the new book (more details to come), but I wanted to take a moment to show you how the remodel turned out. It is, after all, important to savor the results of the creative labor that God has given us to do. He modeled that for us in Genesis when he contemplated what he created at the end of every day.

But first, as a follow up to the thoughts in God Enjoys Interior Design, I was reminded of another excellent example of God’s enjoyment and value of design while reading The Gift of Art (IVP, 1981) by Gene Veith, Jr. recently. Veith says:

The Lord’s requirements for the tabernacle and later the Temple do, in fact, take up a good part of the Old Testament… The details of how many hooks to place in the curtains, how many cubits the frames must be, what to cover with beaten gold and what to make from bronze, are tedious to modern readers and have led to the abandoning of many a (entire bible) Scripture–reading project. But it pleased God to include theme in this holy Word. God, the designer and maker of the universe, clearly places great value on details of design, construction and artifice.

That’s true.

I hope the builders of the tabernacle and temple didn’t run into as many challenges in the details as we did in this remodel. God did give us solutions to every one, but the problems were plentiful. Fortunately, I was working with my good friend Scott Rieger on this project so we had a healthy mix of humor, trivia, and theological discussion along with the challenges.

Mom’s house was built in 1979, long enough ago that many design elements are outdated. Add to that the fact that it is on a concrete slab and the home was configured oddly to be wheelchair accessible, and you have some interesting problems. Plumbing can’t be changed, the concrete promoted years of condensation and rot in the cabinets, and there are limited options when reconfiguring the kitchen layout. But enough of the boring explanation. Here are the pictures, with slightly more interesting explanations. For those interested in some of the specifics of products and processes, I’ve created footnotes at the end of this post.

Challenges

Here are just a few of the problems that needed to be addressed: (Click on the pictures to see the explanation.)

Fake butcher block counters, green ceramic back splash, an outdated cook top, and a fridge that sticks out like a sore thumb.

1970’s pebble linoleum flooring. They must have thought the green/avocado trend had staying power. That was also the original color of all the appliances. Swanky. This floor was replaced with Acacia hardwood flooring from Menards.

This Belgian made wood burning stove could heat the whole house, but is an eyesore in a modern kitchen. We removed but kept it in case of apocalypse.

Before and After

The plan was to transform this kitchen from a dated and clutter hodgepodge of design to a classy and warm Tuscan-inspired family gathering place. I think we got pretty close. Here is a sampling of before and after shots. Click on any of the pictures to go into the gallery with explanations.

BEFORE–The kitchen is 12 ft across, but with the stove cabinet and the refrigerator encroaching, the space becomes 7ft. The fridge is an eyesore. The counter tops are ugly and too low, actually lower than standard counter height to accommodate a shorter cook. Somehow the designers decided to make the bar even lower, creating 35 years of cramped seating. Florescent lights and a white ceiling complete the odd look.

AFTER–The island and counters have been raised, new granite counter tops (Bianco Romano) are on, pendant lights (1) replace the old florescents, the cabinets have been refinished darker (2) to contrast the new natural tile (3). The old scalloped trim above the sink has been replaced with an arch supported by corbels (4), and the frame around the windows is now detailed stone border for a classic look. The walls and ceiling have been warmed up.(5)

BEFORE– On the south side of the kitchen, the stove cabinet eats up floor to ceiling space, the dishwasher blocks multiple cabinet doors when open, but…the grape border does add a certain granny charm.

AFTER–The upper and lower cabinets were moved to the other side of the kitchen and a new GE double oven moved in. A chimney range hood (6) was added and a pot rack (7) now hangs where the wall oven once was. New workspace is opened up on the counter below the pot rack and on the island where the cook top once resided.

BEFORE– On the north side of the kitchen, the horribly placed fridge takes over a whole section. The island encroaches on floorspace and a cook top on the island is awkwardly configured.

AFTER–The refrigerator is moved over and upper and lower cabinets moved in from the other side of the kitchen. Plus, refinished cabinets, new tile, lighting, increased floorspace, and more workspace on the island. All the old, ornate door pulls have been replaced with simple, clean pewter-look pulls (8).

BEFORE–The wood-burning stove dominates the room.

AFTER–A wall was built where the stove used to be (right), and now houses the refrigerator, creating a finished look. Although the fridge space extends into the adjoining family room, it actually take up less space than the stove did.

BEFORE–The cabinet color was dated, sort of a light walnut. The pulls were a medieval antique brass. They had to go.

AFTER–A four-step process of refinishing gave the cabinets a richer, antiqued look, contrasting beautifully with the granite counters, and complementing the new Acacia wood floor(9).

BEFORE–The island was long and narrow and interupted the recommended “kitchen work triangle”.

AFTER–The shortened, heightened, and reconfigured island allows for more floor space in the kitchen, a larger and more comfortable bar, and completely hides the dishwasher, to the left.

BEFORE–Another view of the kitchen from the island. The cabinet color is pure ’70’s. The old bar stools are perfect.

AFTER–Clean, updated, and spacious. Where once, the florescent light relentlessly illuminated the whole space, now four lighting systems set a sophisticated tone.

BEFORE– The southwest corner is cluttered and cramped, with an unattractive dishwasher front and center and blocking cabinet access when it opens.

AFTER–The space is bright and functional. Drawers re-purposed from the island fill the old dishwasher space.

BEFORE–Detail of the south side of kitchen. The space is cramped and every element of design screams “I’m stuck in the ’70’s!”

BEFORE–More detail of the island transformation. It was narrow, long, and low. An uncomfortable place to eat.

AFTER–The shortened, heightend island provides more space to work and more bar space to accommodate four people. Classic corbels support the new counter. A new vegetable sink is larger, more functional and attractive. The raised bar counter can hide clutter on the island.

More Design Updates

In addition to refinishing or replacing nearly everything in the kitchen, we added many extra design touches. Here are a few. Click on any picture to go to the gallery with explanations.

The four island corbels, purchased online from Osborne Wood Products.

Detail of an oak corbel. These came unfinished and we stained to match.

These cabinets were moved from one side of the kitchen to the other and converted to trash and recycling bins.

This Allen and Roth chandelier from Lowes replaced a hideous bright brass number in the dining area.

We added this corner display cabinet next to the stove, making good use of a small space.

The new LG 30 cu. ft. refigerator is a show stopper and a world away from the white Roper that it replaced.

We moved the refrigerator over and lined it up with the newly installed upper cabinets, re-purposed and cut the cabinets above the fridge to fit and trimmed the whole thing in oak, creating a integrated look that makes the kitchen seem even bigger. Another corner display shelf was created below.

Detail of the new Acacia Cabernet Hand scraped hard wood floor. It is engineered and floating, to go over the concrete slab floor.

The new pulls are simple and complement the antiqued cabinet finish, creating a clean look.

Where once rough cedar surrounding the windows looked shabby, the new stone trim makes for a robust and classic look.

The old scalloped trim was made into an arch and the edge routed to match the cabinets. Mini corbels were added as aesthetic supports.

The once dominate dishwasher is now hidden in the end of the island.

Notes:

(1) The pendant lights came from Menards. I went for a simple, classic light that could accommodate a 100 watt bulb.

(2) The cabinets required a 4-step process to get this look. 1. Liquid De-glosser was used to prepare the finish for staining. 2. A coat of Rust-o-leum Kona stain was applied to darken the cabinets. 3. A coat of Rust-o-leum Black Cherry was applied to give a rich red tone. 4. A few coats of polyurethane went on to toughen up the finish. These stains are available at Lowes.

(3) I spent a lot of time looking for the perfect backs plash tile to complement the beautiful granite. Its a more difficult task then you might think. I settled on white natural tumbled marble tiles (4”x4″) from Menard’s. It had rough edges and a lovely washed out look. This was placed in an offset, subway tile pattern for an retro look, then sealed with a simple stone sealer. The grout was biscuit colored to blend with the stone (white grout was too stark). I used tumbled marble chair rail tile to trim. The whiteish tile and light granite is a great contrast to the rich wood floors and dark cabinets.

(4) Osbourne Wood Products provided the corbels for the island and sink trim. Very nice quality and detail. I highly recommend them.

(5) The paint came from Sherwin Williams and I went with three complimentary colors. The walls were “Pavilion Beige”, the lower trim “Tiki Hut” and the upper trim and beams were a shade lighter with “Sanderling”.

(6) I found the range hood on line at Signature Hardware. This hood is made exclusively for them and though is doesn’t have some of the bells and whistles like LED display, timers and etc, it does have high air output (550 Cfm) and great design lines. You can easily spend several hundred dollars on a chimney range hood, but this 30″ came in at $299 (on sale).

(9) I found the best deal for engineered hard wood floor at Menards. The Floors of Distinction brand Acacia wood in Cabernet with a hand scrapped texture completely satisfied the desire for a rich, medium dark floor that could “float” over a concrete slab floor.

“A Strange Brand of Happy” introduces us to an aimless bachelor (Joe) who is suddenly unemployed and finds himself attracted to his life coach, the same girl (Rebecca St. James) his manipulative ex-boss is pursuing. It’s a romantic comedy.

“Basically, we wanted to tell a story about an unhappy guy who loses his job and is forced to actually think about the meaning of life a little bit,” Joe said. “We wanted him to discover that in pursuing that thing inside of you that gives you a strange brand of happy, you find yourself … and maybe even find God there too.”

Shirley Jones

Rebel Pilgrim wants to make films that have an offbeat, lovably quirky style like “Office Space” or “Little Miss Sunshine”, but remain “faith-friendly”. And though “A Strange Brand of Happy” certainly contains plenty of quirkiness, it manages to give center stage to questions about faith and the meaning of life. Its even earned a Dove approval rating for kids 12 and up. This film delivers some brilliant moments, such as a profound and beautiful spoken word performance by Anis Mojgani, and really can open the doors to deep conversations about faith that ultimately lead to salvation.

The company is counting on a Kickstarter-styled fundraising site, called Seatzy , for selling seats to prospective screenings on Sept. 13. The film will appear in any theater where people have pledged to purchase 500 or more tickets. Like a Kickstarter campaign, if it falls short, no money changes hands.

My friend Joey O’Connor at the Grove Center for the Arts and Media is now offering the e-book Create: Art, Life, and Faith for free. I recommend it to you! And check out the ministry of The Grove while you’re on their site. Makes me want to move to California and join in! Click on the picture below to get the download.

(Note: You’ve come upon an archive site. Scott is now blogging at JScottMcElroy.com. These and fresh posts can be seen there! )

I’ve just been re-visiting the wonderful Redeeming the Arts paper and had to share it with you. Belhaven University and Colin Harbinson, editor of their magazine Creative Spirit, published this amazing work in 2005. One of the most thoughtful and comprehensive statements on the role of the arts in the church and culture to date, it was commissioned by the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelism, an international organization founded by Billy Graham in 1974. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in how God designed the arts and creativity to play a role in his redemption of the world. Here is a link to the complete PDF copy of it. My suggestion: print, underline, and savor it. (It’s the size of a small book.) Enjoy!

“The gospel comes to us as a living word and draws us to think imaginatively of how things could be different. Imagination is capable of moving us closer to the truth about the world as we look through the lens of scripture. As an imaginative activity, art too can open our eyes to see old things in new ways. This important role for imagination suggests that our faith communities need to do their part in cultivating an imagination well rooted in the biblical narrative and the images of scripture.”–Redeeming the Arts

BTW, the mention of Billy Graham reminded me of his quote about the arts I post on FB a few days ago:

“All the masterpieces of art contain both light and shadow. A happy life is not one filled with only sunshine, but one which uses both light and shadow to produce beauty.”
-Billy Graham

Here is the news from our non-profit, The New Renaissance Arts Movement.

At the New Renaissance Arts Movement, we’re about connecting, equipping, and inspiring artists and churches for a New Renaissance. We believe that God is releasing a renewal of the arts and creativity in the local church and an infusion of spiritually powerful art into the culture. We believe this movement will connect artists with the ultimate Creator and their true selves, invigorate the Body of Christ, and convey God’s love to the world in authentic and creative ways.

To that end, last summer we hosted The Creative Church Conferences in Indianapolis and Boise; ground-breaking forums for ideas and inspiration about the role of the arts and artists in the church. Creative leaders liked Rory Noland(Heart of the Artist), Theresa Dedmon(Bethel Church, CA),J. Scott McElroy (Finding Divine Inspiration), Beth Booram(Awaken Your Senses), Jessie Nilo(VineArts Boise), Joe Boyd (Vineyard Cincinnati) and others shared visionary ideas and practical applications in 15 sessions and workshops!

“Imagine if the local church became the place in culture to experience creativity, transcendence, and beauty.”

That’s one of the thoughts behind The New Renaissance Arts Movement that I’m part of. Honestly, these are things that are not often experienced in many churches. At least not yet. So, over the summer we presented The Creative Church Conferences in Indy and Boise to create forums for ideas that could inspire artists and church leaders to be facilitators of God’s creativity in local churches. To our joy, inspiration did happen on many levels.

One moment that particularly thrilled me came during one of our worship sets in Indianapolis. Before the Saturday evening session with Theresa Dedmon, Jason Barrows and The Heritage led us in a beautiful worship set made up of many of their original songs. A sweet, restful spirit washed through the place. We’d absorbed nearly two full days of teaching and discussion up to that point and the chance to settle in God’s presence during worship was serene. Then Jason took it to another level. He and the band surprised us with a nearly a capella rendition of “Over the Rainbow”.

I’ve been to a number of “seeker-sensitive” churches that will use “secular” songs during worship for various reasons. Sometimes it works better than others. I’ve heard some songs that felt completely out of place and forced, and a few that did add something special to the worship. At our church we’ve worked songs like “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel (1) into the mix with good results, and we often integrate a chorus from “Babylon” by David Gray (2) into the worship song “I Love Your Presence”(3), which is wonderful and often brings me to tears.

But this version of “Over the Rainbow” knocked my socks off. In the situation it seemed like the perfect song; just sublime and peaceful, at the same time nostalgic and heavenly minded. You could feel the Holy Spirit’s hand on it, comforting us, giving us a pure and simple gift. Really, a beautiful, creative, and transcendent experience–just what we were there to talk about creating. A number of attendees just “lost it” with joyful tears.

At that moment I realized that there might not be another song that captures the basic human longing for heaven so well, “Christian” songs included. It’s made up of rainbows, dreams, happy Bluebirds, simple lyrics, clear voices and lovely harmonies. No deep theology, just truth that our heart can connect with. No evangelism, just the desire to be with our Father in a better place.

I wonder if we wouldn’t do well to introduce that kind of childlike joy and longing into our churches and services a little more often.

Here is that rendition of “Over the Rainbow” by The Heritage. I haven’t been able to stop watching and listening to it. Enjoy!

I just finished reviewing a yet to be released book called Empowered Creativity from a fiery young author named Art Thomas. I particularly enjoyed this thought about working in the “family business”:

In the culture of the Bible, as soon as a child reached the teenage years, he or she was considered a full-fledged adult. When a young man reached the age of his bar mitzvah, he was welcomed into manhood and given responsibility in the family business. The father would announce to the town, “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased,” which essentially implied, “This young man represents me. I support him completely and have given him my seal of approval to represent me and carry on the family business.”

If you remember what it was like to be a teenager, you might be wondering if this was wise! Adults often think of teenagers as brain-damaged risk-takers with untamable hormones. But biology hasn’t really changed in the last few millennia—only our perspectives and expectations have.

The extra bit of information we don’t often think about is that the newly dubbed “man” spent his childhood working alongside his father, learning the family trade. Jesus, for instance, would have watched Joseph preparing wood, drawing plans, and expertly crafting tools and structures. By the time Jesus was considered a man (at the ripe old age of thirteen), he already had more hands-on experience and insight about carpentry than someone today who may have attended a trade school.

By spending time with their fathers, the young men of Israel learned to run the family businesses. Craftsmanship and skill were taught, handed down, and developed.

Our Heavenly Father has a family business as well. He is a Creator who deals in acts of love and power. If He can’t make something with the elements that are available, He simply speaks new elements into existence. He is so creative that He thinks outside the realm of what exists. He calls things that are not as though they are. (See Romans 4:17.) He dreams, He invents, He forms, and He empowers. Our Father’s business can be summed up as this: “Limitless, Love-filled Creativity in Action.”

How do we get involved in the family business? The same way the young men of the Bible did. We spend time with our Father. We study His craft by watching Him at work. We learn from the projects He has done in the past. We ask for insight about the projects that now need to be done. We pay attention and learn from present-day demonstrations of His work. In this way, we learn the family business so that, like Jesus, God can declare over us, “This is My beloved son, in whom I am well pleased,” thus commissioning us into the family business. (See Matthew 3:17.)

“I think it will take me a lifetime to fully understand and express what God did during the Creative Church Conference. …(it is) allowing so many of us to finally find our creative tribe!!!! The effects this will have in the kingdom will ripple through eternity.” Tammy, Duluth, MN

“The sheer number of gifts that I received at the conference are STILL being revealed! God’s blow’n my hair back!” deAnn, York, PA

When The Creative Church Conference Indianapolis: Embracing the Arts in Your Church wrapped up, it was evident that God had pulled off something special. From the eclectic mix of speakers and their unique perspectives, to the practical, inspiration-packed workshops, to the extras like the Creative Room, live painting, poetry, dance, live music, the Prayer Ministry Rooms, the wonderful art gallery, the Spontaneous Prophetic Art, it was a conference full of surprises, inspiration, connections, and healing. As we had hoped, the conversation reached across denominational boundaries, bringing together leading practitioners from different traditions and backgrounds and we all learned from each other. But more than that, being together to talk

about and experience what God is doing with the arts provided priceless creative fuel and refreshing for the journey ahead.

The theme of the conference, “Embracing the Arts (and Artists) in Your Church”, was based on the concept that God IS creativity, that He designed the arts and creativity as a way for us to encounter and know Him, and the embrace of these things in the local church will mature the Body of Christ and change the world. The wide ranging discussions all touched on this theme in some way. Jessie Nilo, in her blog post about the event took a shot at describing what went on:

” (Friday) Scott challenged us to do art for the sake of maturity in the Church. Beth Booram (Awaken Your Senses) opened our eyes, ears, and senses, and our imaginations were primed to soar through being present. Rory Noland (Heart of the Artist) melted our hearts with humble encouragement, speaking on some of the challenges of being artistic. (Saturday) Joe Boyd (Artist/Pastor)… well, this improv actor had us laughing hysterically, then slammed us with clarity and truth on behalf of artists in our churches. Theresa Dedmon (Bethel Church) joyfully led many in the room into healing; spiritually, artistically, and even physically.

The workshops were riveting, filled with practical advice and spiritual experience on integrating the arts into the local church. The discussions were electric, and nobody wanted them to end! The panel discussions and creative brainstorming were vital to all the churches represented in the room as we all pondered the future of the arts in the church.

Less than a month later we did it all again with the Creative Church Conference Boise. This conference had a different personality than Indy, but was undeniably infused with God’s presence, as well. Rory Noland, Jessie Nilo, and I spoke at both conferences, but Boise also featured Manuel Luz (Imagine That) a wonderful “Renaissance Man”( he probably wouldn’t like that description, but it’s true) who delivered excellent messages and also led us in an amazing arts and worship time on Friday night. It was so enjoyable to watch him freely contribute his talents to the weekend. Brie Tschoepe came in from Austin to instruct and enlightened us on the powerful gifts of drama and physical movement, and her presence alone added a unique sense of soul to the weekend. Rory Noland, a mentor to so many Christian artists, spoke from his vast experience of working with artists in the church. His talk on “Leading Artists” was remarkably practical and helpful. And Dave Blakeslee, a former pastor and gifted potter who illustrates with clay as he speaks, completely floored us with unique insight on the relationship between pastors and artists. It was like he opened up a treasure chest of wisdom on the subject and started doling out rare gems. (I’ll post the text from that talk soon.)

A drama exercise. These people froze in position to illustrate the disciples in the stormy sea.

We knew from the beginning that the two conferences would have different vibes. With Boise’s large and established VineArts Ministry to artists we thought that conference would lean more toward artists, and Indy’s proximity to a much larger population and more churches would skew it more toward arts and church leaders. These assumptions were generally true, but the way everything wove together at the individual conferences was truly astounding. There was a wonderful balance of ideas and insight for artists, arts leaders, and local churches at both conferences. It was clear that the Holy Spirit had inspired and guided these events, and there was clear affirmation that the movement to integrate the arts into the church–this New Renaissance–is God’s idea.

Now the question we hear continually, “When are you going to do it again?” We’re committing that question to prayer, and we’ll let you know as soon as we do!

As the words on the conference poster said:

A historic movement is underway.

A movement that will connect artists

with the ultimate Creator,

awaken creativity in the average person,

Invigorate the local church, and convey

God’s love to the world in authentic and creative ways.

It’s a New Renaissance,

And you have a part in it.

The Creative Church Conferences were sponsored in part by The New Renaissance Arts Movement. For more information on The New Renaissance Arts Movement go to http://TheNewR.org.

I’m the author of Finding Divine Inspiration: Working with the Holy Spirit in Your Creativity and the founder of The New Renaissance arts renewal movement. On this blog I write about topics that inspire and interest me personally, and often comment on the progress we ( the body of Christ) ... Continue reading →